A 0.36% rise in Britain’s FTSE 100 put the London benchmark at its highest close in about three months Friday, while U.S. technology shares faced renewed pressure.
The index added 39.47 points to 10,902.56 on Nov. 13. Reuters described the finish as a three-month high and reported gains among utility, energy and consumer shares. The FTSE 350 utilities index rose 1.1%. Centrica gained 3.8%; BP and Shell each rose about 1.5%, while Aviva advanced 3.4%.
Reuters also said crude prices edged higher after attacks on Saudi infrastructure and tankers. The Associated Press reported that U.S. stocks finished mixed: the Nasdaq Composite fell 229.82 points, or 0.9%, to 25,136.27, and the S&P 500 lost 30.73 points, or 0.4%, to 7,561.67. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 50.46 points, or 0.1%, to 52,347.55.
Reuters said investor concerns about Nvidia’s leadership and financing for artificial intelligence projects contributed to technology-share weakness. In a Nov. 12 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Nvidia said its board accepted CEO Jen-Hsun Huang’s resignation on Nov. 11, effective immediately, and appointed CFO Colette M. Kress interim CEO while it searches for a permanent successor.
Reuters said U.K. inflation and employment figures were due the following week.
